As a CIO, you’re charged with deciding which products your employees will use. You need to decide which PC is right for them, which collaboration services they should be using, and much more. But, you also need to decide which smartphone your employees will be permitted to use during their day-to-day activities. And that’s increasingly becoming a difficult decision.
There are a slew of devices on the market that deliver some degree of enterprise functionality. Although RIM’s BlackBerry probably tops your list of the ideal smartphones for your operation, you’re likely being forced to consider other options as your employees increasingly look to use personal devices at work. Among the options to consider are the iPhone 4, the LG Quantum running Windows 7, and the Motorola Droid Pro. In this edition of SideXSide, we compare features of these smartphones to help you determine which ones might be the right fit for your enterprise.
Enterprise-Friendly Smartphone Features
| Features | Motorola Droid Pro | iPhone 4 | RIM BlackBerry Torch | LG Quantum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 2.2 | Apple iOS 4 | BlackBerry OS 6 | Windows Phone 7 |
| Touchscreen/Physical keyboard | Yes/Yes | Yes/No | Yes/Yes | Yes/Yes |
| IT security features | AuthenTec IPSec VPN, remote wipe | Full administrative control, remote wipe | Full administrative control and BlackBerry Enterprise Server | Full administrative control, user policies, isolated storage |
| 3G sharing | Yes, with up to five devices wirelessly | Tethering | Tethering | Tethering |
| Exchange support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Available apps in marketplace | More than 100,000 | More than 300,000 | 10,000-15,000 | Unconfirmed, but fewer than 10,000 |
| Office editing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| World phone support? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| U.S. wireless carrier support | Verizon Wireless | AT&T | AT&T | AT&T |
| MSRP | $179.99 | Starts at $199 | $99.99 | $199.99 |
Source: CIO Insight, November 2010